OUR OPINION: DiMasi family should be shown compassion

Thursday

Feb 13, 2014 at 5:00 AMFeb 15, 2014 at 9:58 AM

While former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi was justly convicted in 2011 for political corruption, he did not – and should not – receive a life sentence. But that's the likely outcome for DiMasi.

The life story of former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi is, as federal Judge Mark Wolf said at DiMasi's sentencing, "... a dream that's been corrupted."

While DiMasi was justly convicted in 2011 for political corruption, he did not – and should not – receive a life sentence. But that's the likely outcome for DiMasi.

According to his attorney, in January 2012, shortly after DiMasi began his sentence, a prison doctor found lumps in his throat and said he likely had cancer. DiMasi didn't receive further testing until April, followed by a biopsy in May, when he was diagnosed with Stage IV squamous cell cancer. In June, he was transferred to a medical prison in North Carolina.

Since being sentenced to eight years in federal prison – the longest sentence handed down in federal court to a Massachusetts politician – DiMasi has been seeking a transfer to a prison closer to his family in Massachusetts. Initially it was to be near his wife, Debbie, who was then battling breast cancer. Now, he's waging his own battle.

According to Debbie DiMasi, prison records she recently obtained show the cancer has spread to DiMasi's lungs. His most recent request to be transferred to Devens was denied and he cannot make another request for 18 months.

In the meantime, it's expensive for Debbie to travel to North Carolina and as the sole breadwinner for her family, not always possible. Nevertheless, Debbie is doing her best to support her husband in every way she can.

We understand the seriousness of the crimes DiMasi has committed. He betrayed his office, the people of Massachusetts and, most seriously, the core principles of democracy. He should be punished for his crimes.

But how much is too much?

DiMasi was the third consecutive Massachusetts House Speaker to be convicted of a federal crime. In 1996, then-Speaker Charles Flaherty pleaded guilty to federal charges of tax evasion. He served no jail time. Then in 2007, former House Speaker Thomas Finneran pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in federal court for lying under oath – while speaker. Like Flaherty, he did not serve time in prison for his crime. A convicted felon, Finneran went on to become a talk radio host and is now a registered lobbyist – lobbying those in the Legislature, some of whom had once elected him their leader.

Meanwhile, Gov. Deval Patrick has refused to ask his friends in the Obama administration for a hardship transfer to Devens for his former colleague, telling reporters, "I'm not going to get involved in that at all."

We understand that Patrick, who was not implicated in any way in the DiMasi scandal, and in fact gave testimony that helped convict him, may feel strongly that DiMasi belongs in prison for his crimes. Yet we call on the governor to consider if the punishment to DiMasi, his wife and children fits his crimes.

The governor has always shown great compassion to prisoners and ex-felons – perhaps too much – yet in this case, one that warrants empathy, he has shown none.

We ask the governor to act with great humanity and request of Attorney General Eric Holder that he transfer DiMasi as soon as possible to Devens. If Sal DiMasi does have metastatic cancer, his eight-year sentence may well be a life sentence.

In this instance, the punishment to the man, his wife and children does not fit the crime.

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